Logic An attempt to formulate the processes of the ratiocinative mind, connecting idea with idea in a causal sequence, leading from predicate to conclusion. When the predicate consists of axioms, the species of logic is called deductive, or reasoning from the general to the particular; when the predicate is facts of experience, the logic is called inductive, or proceeding from particulars to generals. As a means of arriving at truth it alone is quite unreliable, as it is but a body of rules based on human experiences, and hence it is often rather a means of justifying conclusions after they have already been formed. This unreliability arises both from the difficulty of applying the process with rigid precision, and also from the uncertainty of the predicates in both systems. A study of what is written on logic will show that there is no agreement as to what constitutes an axiom -- whether it is an intuitive perception of truth, or whether it is merely an inference from experience. The same uncertainty exists as to the validity of the assumptions from which inductive chains of reasoning are drawn. to be continue "Logic2 "

logic\log"ic\ (?), n. [oe. logike, f. logique, l. logica, logice, gr. logikh` (sc. te`chnh), fr. logiko`s belonging to speaking or reason, fr. lo`gos speech, reason, le`gein to say, speak. see legend.]1. the science or art of exact reasoning, or of pure and formal thought, or of the laws according to which the processes of pure thinking should be conducted; the science of the formation and application of general notions; the science of generalization, judgment, classification, reasoning, and systematic arrangement; correct reasoning. logic is science of the laws of thought, as that is, of the necessary conditions to which thought, considered in itself, is subject. w. hamilton.note: logic is distinguished as pure and applied. "pure logic is a science of the form, or of the formal laws, of thinking, and not of the matter. applied logic teaches the application of the forms of thinking to those objects about which men do think." thomson.2. a treatise on logic; as, mill's logic.logic n1. the branch of philosophy that analyzes inference2. reasoned and reasonable judgment; "it made a certain kind of logic"3. the principles that guide reasoning within a given field or situation; "economic logic requires it"; "by the logic of war"4. a system of reasoning [syn: logical system, system of logic ]

The art of thinking and reasoning in strict accordance with the limitations and incapacities of the human misunderstanding. The basic of logic is the syllogism, consisting of a major and a minor premise and a conclusion -- thus: "Major Premise": Sixty men can do a piece of work sixty times as quickly as one man. "Minor Premise": One man can dig a posthole in sixty seconds; therefore -- "Conclusion": Sixty men can dig a posthole in one second. This may be called the syllogism arithmetical, in which, by combining logic and mathematics, we obtain a double certainty and are twice blessed.

[L:18] Kant defines logic as "a canon that...serves as the principle of judging all use of the understanding as such, although only as to its rightness in respect of mere form". It is "a science a priori of the necessary laws of thinking, not, however, in respect of particular objects but all objects generatim; it is a science...of the right use of the understanding and of reason as such...i.e., according to a priori principles of how it ought to think". Kant discusses several divisions of logic, including: traditional logic, pure logic, applied logic, general logic, special logic, and transcendental logic. In addition, in the Critique he distinguishes between logical and transcendental employment of the faculties.

On PMTH, the word &quotlogic&quot generally refers, not to the colloquial meaning of this term but to the system of formal reasoning introduced by Aristole. Aristotle's logic was based on three principles, the Law of the Excluded Middle, the Law of Contradiction and the Law of Identity. &nbsp In recent times there are symbolic logics which can be more complex.&nbsp In Aristotlean, or categorical, logic, a statement can be only true or false, not both at the same time.&nbsp In modern logics, there can be alternative valuations of a statement.&nbsp In fuzzy logic , we can speak of the proportion of truth in each statement.

(n.)
The science or art of exact reasoning, or of pure and formal thought, or of the laws according to which the processes of pure thinking should be conducted; the science of the formation and application of general notions; the science of generalization, judgment, classification, reasoning, and systematic arrangement; correct reasoning. (n.)
A treatise on logic; as, Mill's Logic.